CONFRONTATIONS
by Rebel8954
Summary: "Did I ever mention that I don't like being called 'Jimmy?" Jim quietly asked. "I'm sure I did. Probably more than once. But you never cared enough to either listen or respect my choice not to be called that."


Jim Ellison stopped just before he punched the button to summon the elevator at 852 Prospect. He'd been in too many combat situations to willfully ignore that tingling he felt at the base of his spine. He casually looked behind him, using all of his Sentinel abilities but found nothing.

"Great. Just great," he muttered. "Either I'm starting to imagine things or I'm turning into a psychic." Ignoring the elevator, he started up the stairs to the third floor taking the steps two at a time.

But he'd learned to ignore that tingle at his own peril. So, he slowed down as he approached the third floor landing, then stopped as he heard a heartbeat in the hallway. Pinpointing the location of the heartbeat as in front of his apartment, he pulled out his gun, then carefully peeked over the landing.

' _Carolyn?'_ Jim quickly holstered the gun and climbed the final stairs to the third floor. _'Why would I get the feeling I'm about to go into combat by seeing_ _ **her**_ _?'_

"Jim!" Carolyn Plummer smiled. "I was going to leave a note on the door."

Jim hugged his ex-wife then unlocked the door. "I guess Sandburg isn't home yet. Come on in."

"He still lives with you?" Carolyn casually asked as she followed Jim into the apartment. She glanced around. "I guess so. Talk about a change in décor."

Jim closed and locked the door behind them then glanced around. "I guess it **does** look a lot different than the last time you were here." He shrugged out of his dress coat. "Let me get changed. There's water, juice, and beer in the 'fridge."

Carolyn smiled again, noticing Jim's suit. "Court day?" she guessed as she hung her purse next to Jim's coat.

Jim groaned as he walked towards the stairs leading to the upstairs bedroom. "Worse than the Army in making you hurry up and wait," he grumbled. By the time he climbed the stairs, his tie was dangling from his fingers.

Carolyn waited until she heard the dresser drawer in the upstairs bedroom open, then stealthily walked across the living room to the small room under the stairs. She quietly opened the door and stepped inside. _'Okay, definitely being used as an office. Books and papers all over the desk.'_ The fastidious part of Carolyn's nature silently sneered at the disorganization on the desk. _'The futon's made up and folded. Why would someone do that if it's being used as a bed every night?'_

"Carolyn, what are you doing in Sandburg's room?"

Carolyn jumped in surprise. She turned to see Jim, clad in sweats, calmly staring at her. "Sandburg's room?" she asked, trying to regain her composure.

' _Now I get the warning. Another confrontation with her._ ' Jim tilted his head to the left and his eyes narrowed. "Why are you here, Carolyn?"

"I heard about that dissertation mess of Sandburg's," Carolyn explained. "Why is he still living here?"

"Why do you care? We're divorced, remember?" Jim felt his anger rising and made an obvious effort to control it.

"Is this why we got divorced? Because you're rather bed a male grad student?" Carolyn accused.

" **You** asked for the divorce! Not me!" Jim shouted. "Or have you conveniently forgotten that?" He stepped back into the living room. "Get out of Sandburg's room. He deserves privacy in his own home."

"For God's sake, Jimmy! Don't tell me you put him on the lease!" Carolyn followed her ex-husband into the living room.

"That's no business of yours or anyone else's!" Jim angrily retorted. "My private life is none of your concern!"

"It is when I have people in San Francisco asking me about it!" Carolyn raged. "Didn't you think that mess would make news outside of Cascade? People I work with know I'm from Cascade! And some of them just couldn't wait to ask me about it!"

Jim crossed his arms over his chest. "And the press conference where the University and publishing company admitted their fault?"

"Oh, please, Jimmy!" Carolyn waved a dismissive hand. "The point is that Sandburg is the one who plastered your name all over that so-called dissertation. Who released it to the public is just a technicality! He made a fool of you!"

"Did I ever mention that I don't like being called 'Jimmy'?" Jim quietly asked. "I'm sure I did. Probably more than once. But you never cared enough to either listen or respect my choice not to be called that."

"What has **that** got to do with anything!" Carolyn shouted.

"A lot, actually," Jim coldly replied. "So, let's get this done and over with, shall we? One. Sandburg still lives here. It's his home as long as he wants it to be. Two. Sandburg's living arrangements or property ownership are of no concern to you now or ever. Three. You wanted a divorce. I gave it to you. Four. Because of that divorce, you have no claim on me or right to ask me any personal questions. Five. I **really** hate to be called Jimmy."

Carolyn's face twisted in fury. "You may not want it to be my concern, but I'm sure your sleeping arrangements would interest the Cascade PD!"

"And why is that?"

"You know damn well it's against regulations to sleep with your partner!" Carolyn angrily shouted.

"Sandburg is a civilian observer. Believe it or not, Carolyn, he's slept with a lot of people at the department," Jim pointed out. "No regs were broken then."

"You're working with him as your partner!" Carolyn argued. "If you're sleeping with him, then you're in violation of those regulations!"

"If I was sleeping with Sandburg, which I'm not admitting to, what bothers you the most about it? That's he's a man? Or that he smarter than you? Or that he's younger than you?" Jim smiled to himself as he saw Carolyn's reaction.

"Damn you, **Jimmy** Ellison! How dare you?!"

"How dare I? You're the one who came into my home and started snooping around and throwing out allegations of misconduct." Jim took a deep breath and looked away. "If that's all you came back here for, you needn't ever make a second trip. Now I'd like you to leave."

"I'm not leaving until I have some straight answers! You owe me that!" Carolyn caught her breath when Jim turned to look at her, cold fury in his blue eyes.

"I owe you?" Jim bitterly replied. "I don't owe you anything, Carolyn! Nothing at all! And I certainly don't owe you any explanations about my private life!" He took two steps closer to her, pleased that Carolyn immediately retreated. "And I'm warning you! If you make any absurd allegations about either me or Sandburg, you'll find yourself slapped with a lawsuit so fast it'll make your head swim! Do you understand me?!"

"Perfectly!" Carolyn snapped. "Just understand this! I was willing to take some of the blame for our marriage collapsing. But now…" She swung her arms out to indicate the living room. "…now I see the real reason why it didn't work! That was all **your** fault!"

"Get out!" Jim shouted. "Now!"

"Umm….guys? You can be heard in the hallway."

Both Jim and Carolyn spun around to see Blair Sandburg closing the front door behind him. Then they angrily stared at each other.

Blair silently slid his backpack off his shoulder and onto the floor under where Jim's coat hung.

"Now, Carolyn," Jim softly ordered.

"Afraid he'll hear a few home truths, **Jimmy**?" Carolyn muttered.

"Not another word," Jim furiously warned.

Carolyn quickly walked towards the door. She briskly walked to the door and retrieved her purse. With a final furious glare at her ex-husband, she opened the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Blair winced at the loud slam. Then he stared at Jim. "You okay?"

Jim raised a hand. "Later, okay?"

Blair slowly nodded. "Sure." He stared at the closed front door then back at Jim who was walking out onto the balcony. "Hmmmm…."

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Carolyn looked around in shock and surprise. "What the hell…" she murmured. "How did I get here?" Rather than the small but nice hotel room where she'd gone to sleep, Carolyn found herself surrounded by a blue jungle. Glancing down at herself, she was relieved to find she was still wearing her pajamas. "And since when are jungles **blue**?"

"When they're a dreamscape."

Carolyn spun around, surprised to see Blair sitting cross-legged on a nearby rock. "What the hell is this?" she demanded.

"A private visit. A little chat." Blair shrugged. "This way you won't disturb the neighbors when you start shouting."

Carolyn narrowed her eyes. "I don't have to listen to anything **you** have to say." She turned to walk away only to stumble backwards when Blair appeared in front of her.

"Actually, you do. Because until you do, you're not leaving."

"Do you think you can keep me here?" Carolyn demanded.

"I brought you here. I can keep you here." Blair's voice was low and melodic. "It's up to you how long that will be." He walked past her and climbed back onto his rock.

"Well, go ahead, then. Say whatever it is you have to say." Carolyn crossed her arms across her chest. "Not that it will be of much interest to me."

Blair sadly shook his head. "Yeah, I can see that now. Plan A, which was you and me talking like reasonable adults, is apparently out the window. Guess its Plan B."

"And just what is Plan B?" Carolyn sneered.

"Plan B is where you don't ever get in Jim's face and demand anything ever again." Blair sighed. "I don't like the consequences of Plan B. In fact, I **hate** the consequences of Plan B."

"Am I supposed to be scared? Is all this supposed to intimidate me? You're just a bad dream, Sandburg!"

Blair slowly nodded. "Yeah, I'm a bad dream. More specifically, I'm **your** bad dream. You see, Carolyn, you threw Jim away. I figure the divorce was pretty much a mutual decision no matter who initiated it. But then you just walked away and went to San Francisco. You never talked about it with Jim. You just walked up to him and said, "I'm moving to San Francisco is a couple of days."

Blair slid off the rock and took a few steps towards Carolyn. "You just threw him away and then figure you have a right to judge what he does and demand answers? No, Carolyn, not in this lifetime. And you don't treat Jim the way you did today. Not while I'm around."

"I supposed you're going to protect Jimmy from big bad Carolyn?" Sarcastically, Carolyn laughed.

"No. They will."

Hearing growling behind her, Carolyn carefully and slowly turned around. "Oh my God!" she cried out.

Standing shoulder to shoulder was a large black jaguar and a silver-grey wolf. The jaguar watched her with narrowed eyes while the wolf casually bared its teeth.

"I think it would be nice to apologize to him for your actions today, but that's up to you. But if you ever meet Jim again, you will treat him with respect and kindness," Blair softly ordered.

"And if I don't?" Carolyn whispered in fear.

"You have to sleep sometime."

Carolyn whirled around only to find that Blair had disappeared. Hearing the two animals growling again, she spun around to see them walking slowly towards her. Backing up, she began to chant, "I have to wake up…I have to wake up…I have to wake up…"

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Blair slowly opened his eyes and stretched. Turning his head, he saw that Jim was sound asleep next to him. Smiling, Blair turned on his side and folded his body into the curve of Jim's.

Across the city of Cascade, a frightened woman awoke with a scream.


End file.
